Emily Dickenson wrote, “I’m Nobody! Who are you? Are you – Nobody – too? Then there’s a pair of us! Don’t tell! they’d advertise – you know.” She must have thought of being somebody (at least for a few moments) because she also wrote, “Success is counted sweetest by those who ne’er succeed. To comprehend a nectar requires sorest need.” Being somebody is the native fruit of success unless your goal was to be nobody.
In 1954 Marlon Brando immortalized the line, “I could have been somebody” in the film On the Waterfront. I’m sure there are some people who have never wanted to be somebody but I’m not sure that I know any. Being that I know a lot of preachers I can safely say they are the worst. They would never admit it because that would mar their self images as God’s messengers. Deep within they are attracted to the pulpit because of the attention they receive from fans and foes. I know some will say, “Speak for yourself.” So I do and I hold to my belief from decades of associations.
Now to the important stuff. You are somebody. You are God’s son. You are God’s daughter. You are a prince of the Universe. You are a princess of the Universe. In Romans and Galatians Paul assures us that we have been adopted into God’s family and are co-heirs with Jesus. It is an unfathomable thought, a non-comprehensible concept. Sometimes Paul shocks us with his ideas of God’s lavish love and God’s plans for our futures. People who are not overwhelmed by many of Paul’s concepts are so merely because they have not yet read them. Please pour over Ephesians 1 & 2. The ideas within are astounding.
Written by Roger Bothwell on April 21, 2014
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
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